El Greco, whose real name was Doménikos Theotokópoulos, was a Greek painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. He was born in Crete, which was at that time part of the Republic of Venice, Italy, and the center of Post-Byzantine art. He trained and became a master within that tradition before traveling to Italy, as other Greek artists had done. In 1577, he moved to Toledo, Spain, where he lived and worked until his death.
El Greco is regarded as a precursor of both Expressionism and Cubism, while his personality and works were a source of inspiration for poets and writers such as Rainer Maria Rilke and Nikos Kazantzakis.